B: So here I am, as promised, to regale you with stories of small, furry rodents and their quest for world domination.

Ok, maybe not world domination (not yet anyway), but the Eastern grey squirrel certainly seems bent on taking over every neighborhood I have ever driven through.

All year round, but mostly in the fall and winter, Second Chance Wildlife Center admits adult squirrels suffering from impact trauma and wounds from animal attacks. While many of the impact trauma patients had an unfortunate run-in with a vehicle, plenty of them come in because they fell from the telephone wire onto the street, or they just missed that jump onto your balcony and landed on the deck below.

So, here we go down the rabbit hole... or maybe up the squirrel tree...

If you have found an injured adult squirrel, please approach it cautiously; adult squirrels are very strong, aggressive and should be unapproachable when healthy. If the squirrel allows you to approach it and looks injured, check around the area: is there a road nearby? Could the squirrel have fallen from above? Is there a hawk or someone's dog nearby? Gathering this information for the rehabilitator can make her (or his) job a whole lot easier.

Injuries sustained from impact trauma almost always include a bloody nose and/or mouth and may include swelling, internal bleeding, lethargy and/or fractured bones and teeth. Injuries sustained from an animal attack may show bleeding from puncture wounds, torn skin, swelling, internal bleeding, lethargy and/or fractured bones. Animals that will attack squirrels include cats, dogs, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls and people.

If the adult squirrel you found needs a rehabilitator's care, the best method for squirrel collection is as follows:

For a mostly lethargic squirrel, drape a towel over the body and gently gather it up (but be wary, adrenaline can kick in at any time) and place it in a cat carrier.

For the somewhat active squirrel, try throwing an (empty!) laundry basket over top of it for containment. If you are then able to throw a towel over the animal and scoop it into a cat carrier, then great! If not, call your local wildlife rehabilitator or animal control agency for more advice.

Now, the next few items I am going to list are VERY important. If you take away anything from today, please let it be these:

(1) Adult squirrels can do serious damage with their sharp teeth and sharp, sharp claws, shredding your fingers, hands, arms and face in mere seconds. Please keep yourself safe. Do not snuggle the squirrel (that is a huge insult in their culture.

(2) Do not offer an injured squirrel any food or water. The most it will do is make a giant mess of itself and its carrier. Plus, if it gets wet, there is a good chance for hypothermia to set in if it is already debilitated. Imagine you just fell six stories, flat onto the ground and your friends drive you to McDonald's instead of the hospital. Does that make sense to you?

(3) Try to use only sturdy plastic cat carriers (or small metal cages) when transporting adult squirrels. Those teeth of theirs can chew through a walnut shell in less than three minutes; what do you think they will do to that cardboard shoebox?

(4) If you see an injured adult squirrel but it is able to get away from you consistently, please leave it alone. I know we want to do all that we can for any injured animal, but chasing it around your yard for hours is not going to speed up the healing process. Chances are the squirrel will adapt; they are very intelligent little creatures.

Ok, so adult squirrels seemed to take up more space than I had planned, so be sure to tune in next week when chapter II continues with baby squirrels.

Questions or comments about the Nut House blog? Comment below or email Brittany at nut.house.ab@gmail.com. Want to learn more about Second Chance Wildlife Center? Simply go to www.scwc.org.